Australia ended the surprise run of Finland to reach the Davis Cup final for the second year in a row.

Finland defeated Croatia and the USA in the group stage in September to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time and then upset defending champions Canada on Tuesday.

Backed by thousands of fans in Malaga thanks to a sizeable local population of ex-pats, they hoped to continue the fairytale but found Australia too strong.

Alex De Minaur booked Australia's place in the final
Alex De Minaur booked Australia’s place in the final (Adam Davy/PA)

It was a first victory in a live rubber for the 24-year-old, who said: “It’s nerves that I have never experienced before in my life.”

The Finns were boosted by the return of their number one Emil Ruusuvuori from a shoulder injury but he was unable to capitalise on a good start against world number 12 Alex De Minaur and went down 6-4 6-3.

Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt celebrates
Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt celebrated their victory (Adam Davy/PA)

It is a 49th Davis Cup final for Australia but they have not lifted the trophy since 2003.

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